


Not Meant to Settle Down

by AliceKane



Category: Wynonna Earp (TV)
Genre: F/F, Love Triangle
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-08-17
Updated: 2018-08-29
Packaged: 2019-06-28 19:45:16
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 8,700
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15713847
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AliceKane/pseuds/AliceKane
Summary: For a full year, Nicole failed to notice Waverly's growing crush on her. Just before the young Earp can muster up the courage to admit her feelings, big bad Wynonna reappears in town. Amidst the chaos of the Earp curse and the demon infested trailer park, Nicole catches Wynonna's eye as well.





	1. Chapter One

Black skies, black coffee. It’s a tough start to a morning, paired with the brutal cold, but Nicole got a lot of satisfaction out of pushing herself to do it. She felt sure of herself on the lonely road to work, up and ready to protect the people before they were even awake. 

When the fluorescent lights of the break room hit her, reality hits her a bit too. Protecting the people in such a small town mostly meant pencil pushing and phone calls that wouldn’t start for another several hours. 

“…Once saw her dragged in here 6 times in a single week.”

It also meant gossip as a means to pass the time, and while Nicole felt she was far above it, she had memorized the dirty laundry of everyone in town through overheard conversations. In fact, she knew the shameful side of most people’s history before even meeting them, though she tried not to let it color her judgment of them. 

“I heard that she wasn’t even supposed to be let back out the first time, but every time Mikey’s shift came around she flirted with him ‘til he let her out.”

“You heard she just flirted? Mikey’s a good cop, she must have done a little more than that to get him to let her out. She was always a real…” They glanced to Nicole’s desk, where she was studiously looking at her computer. “Ahh….” 

Maybe having a woman around really did ruin all the fun. _A good cop._

“You know, Haught, you might want to watch out around them. I’ve seen that Waverly’s taken quite a shine to you, but the rest of that family was crazy steeped in booze.” 

“The Earps?” 

“Yeah. Didn’t you know? ‘Wynonna’ is ‘Wynonna Earp.’ She’s Waverly’s older sister.” 

XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX

A speed trap for a town this small was nearly pointless. That is, plenty of people sped in and out of town right where she was parked, but that was only when anyone felt like leaving or entering Purgatory. Which was, Nicole thought as she revved her engine to keep the heat up, never going to happen. 

_I had two older sisters,_ Waverly had told her. _One spent most of her free time torturing me, and the other one was stuck between us. She wanted to protect me, but she also never wanted to leave the other one’s side._

Nicole’s brow furrowed as she stared out across the frosted fields surrounding the town. She had managed to fit in pretty quickly here. She was in on some in jokes, she knew what to order at the diner. She knew everybody and everybody knew her. Except for two. Out of all the stories she had collected over the past year, there were two characters absent from town. Waverly’s sisters. 

_By torture? I mean steal my things, scare me with stories about horrible monsters coming to get me._ Normal things… but… _She would make me do things like walk across the beams up at the ceiling of our barn, walk on thin ice… I fell through once, too._ Not so normal things. 

Waverly had never named her sisters. There was only the mean one and the nice one. She had pieced together that Willa had gone missing at some point. People talked a lot, but no one really wanted to talk about that. And now she knew, the other was the infamous Wynonna. Wynonna Earp. She had skipped town, and left behind a catalogue of stories. 

_She got my toys back almost every time. If they weren’t destroyed. Sometimes they made it into the fire._

Whichever sister Willa was, Nicole still hoped they got her back some day. The case was still open, that’s all Nedley would tell her. He wouldn’t let it close. 

And Wynonna? Wynonna seemed…

_Went smashing mailboxes in high school, hanging out the window… stole some scotch from… tried to take a horse once from up on… blew every single guy on the team… completely stoned… thirteen bar fights? I heard thirty…_

Wynonna seemed… like maybe it wasn’t too hard to figure out which sister was which. But kids change, don’t they? People grow up. As with everyone else, Nicole would hold her judgement for when and if the wayward sister ever returned. 

XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX 

“Officer Haught!” Her name came through a wave of static as her radio came to life. 

“Yes!” She lunged for it, desperate for anything to do. 

“You sick of that speed trap yet?” 

“Absolutely.”

“Well that’s good. We’ve got a, uh… what’s being described as a ‘very loud argument’ outside the barbershop. It’ll probably be clear by the time you get there, but mosey on down whenever you’re ready.”

“Yes sir, I’ll get on it right now.” 

If Nicole had blinked she would have missed the car that flew past her, glossy and black and without any sign of winter wear underneath. An out of towner. 

Up close, she found the windows were illegally tinted. “Do you know—” A pretty older woman. “Do you know why I pulled you over?”

“It was the speeding, wasn’t it?” A worn leather jacket, shredded jeans, dusty boots. One beat up suitcase on the floor next to her. She certainly didn’t match her car. 

“Do you know how fast you were going?” She extended her hand, assuming someone willing to go 95 would know the drill. 

“It might have been over 90?” The woman flashed her a smile as she began fishing around in her glove compartment. 

“95.” Pretty she may be, but Nicole didn’t see what reason she had to be so flippant. 

The license and paperwork landed in the palm of her hand. “You want my number, too?” A cheeky wink. 

“Ma’am I’ll have you know right now I don’t appreciate that.” The woman bit her lip, but it was clear she was still smiling. 

Wynonna Earp. 

It said Wynonna Earp. 

She couldn’t believe it. Putting on her poker face she took it back to her squad car and began going through the motions. 

This was Waverly’s sister. This was the infamous woman who was the source of a grudge for everyone she’d met. 

Who no one thought would come back. 

No warrants out. No suspension of her license. She wrote out the ticket on her dash, glancing up at the black car every few moments, expecting it to peel away. 

“Here you are. Fill this part out and mail it in, alright?” She tried her best not to stare, but her brain was kicking into overdrive trying to analyze this… Wynonna. _She once started a fire out in McClean’s shed. Nearly spread to his house…_

“Sure thing, officer…”

“Haught.” 

A wide, disbelieving smile spread across her face. Of course. “Hot?” 

Nicole was forced to step back as Wynonna stuck her head out the window, craning forward to get a look at her squad car. 

“Ma’am, stay in your vehicle.” Was that a stern enough voice? She was still working on that.

“Is this real? Officer Hot, is this some kind of… stripper version of Punked? Or something?” Pulling herself back in the car and eyeing the rookie up and down. 

“If you don’t think these tickets are real, you’d be fine with another one, right?” 

“Okay, okay…” Wynonna held her hands up in defense. “My bad, officer…” There was definitely another joke coming.

Nicole leaned in, staring the older woman down as coldly as she could. 

“…Hot. If everything’s squared away, I’ll just be going?” 

Nicole gave a curt nod and stalked back to her squad car. 

Well, she had waited to see the woman for herself. The smug, careless, reckless, _innapropriate,_ rude… 

She did not like Wynonna Earp. 


	2. Chapter 2

Drugstore. Same. Post office. Same. Was that pothole there before she left? Probably… 

And of course the eyes of every Purgatorian following the strange new car like it was a UFO. Lovely.

But pulling up outside Shorty’s, Wynonna realized that at least one thing in town had changed. Joining the small crowd that was pretending awfully hard not to be nosey, was Waverly. 

Baby fat gone and cuts of muscle in its place, longer limbs and even longer hair… her baby sister looked almost like a real adult. But those eyes were still innocent, and the way she moved was still timid and shy. 

She was glad she had left that kid behind. According to Gus, she had fended off the family reputation with sweet smiles and poise. Certainly not something she could have done if any of the family were actually still around. And certainly, if her big sister had let her tag along, she would have wound up a lot more jaded by now. 

Steeling herself, she kept her gaze leveled at the faces she could see through the tinted glass. She recognized them all from her youth. Every one of them had made the choice to give her a hard time, instead of their concern. Deep breath. In, out, in… she popped open the door and dropped her boot to the pavement. 

There were looks of shock from Shorty’s, from across the street, from inside the bookstore… and of course, from Waverly. Her last fortifying breath came out as a shaky sigh. Today was already kind of a rough one… might as well keep getting through it. 

Slamming the door shut, she looked around and gave a cocky nod. Her sense of humor was only for herself, and nothing quite tickled her like pretending she was welcome. 

XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX 

“Where the hell have you been? You never tell me anything! I don’t know who you’re travelling with, or—didn’t you have that shirt in high school? Do you ever buy new clothes? Do you need money? Are you broke? How the hell did you get that car, is it some guys? _Did you steal it?_ ” 

She trudged through the bar with Waverly flitting around her like a very loud moth against a streetlamp. If there had been any chance her entrance would go unnoticed, it was gone. 

“Babygirl, I love you, but I get the feeling you’re a bartender now and I could really use your help getting a drink in my hand.” 

Waverly fell quiet in an instant and stood looking at her with the purest doe eyes she had ever seen. 

“Babygirl?” 

Muscle indeed. Waverly had tackled a fiercely snug hug around her and only left the bare minimum of breathing room. 

“I love you too,” Wynonna heard mumbled into the shoulder of her jacket. She pretended not to notice how watery her sister’s voice had become and just about managed to give her an awkward pat on the back and a little squeeze. 

Distantly, she remembered being close to the younger woman. In one far off memory, they had eaten sugar cookies on the porch swing together. It hadn’t felt strange then, to have Waverly’s head on her shoulder, but she supposed things like that were what she had given up to give herself freedom and Waverly a normal life. 

“Look, kid, I’m… gonna stick around a bit this time, so we’ll have plenty of time to catch up, ok? So how about that drink?” 

And with that, Waverly hesitantly perked back up, scurrying behind the counter and wiping her eyes before proudly showing off her bartending skills. 

XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX 

“Naples.” 

“Wait, I thought that was in Budapest?” 

“No no, there was a month in between. And they say it like ‘pesht.” 

“Budapest. So then where were you for Christmas? You only called for like a minute.” 

“I went through Bavaria for a little while. And it was at least a half an hour.” Waverly looked at her forlornly from behind the tap. “But I’m sorry, I’ll do better next year. I thought of you, though, the whole time. There’s a castle there I think you’d like. 

Waverly placed the beer in front of another customer, and made a quick round around the bar before coming back and leaning on her elbows in a mirroring of her big sister’s pose. 

“Next year, huh? How long are you staying in town for?” 

“Not sure. I was gonna go pay my respects to Curtis, pop in and see Gus. And of course visit you, darlin’.” Waverly rolled her eyes. “But uh… now I’m here kind of indefinitely. Cause, see… they’re gonna call me down to town court for a traffic ticket. Who knows when?” 

“You got a ticket _already_? Doing what? You only drove down one road, Wynonna!” 

“Chill, _Gus_! I got caught in a speed trap on my way in. It’s new, I never thought anyone from our lazy pig pen would care about speeding way up there.” 

“They’re not all pigs, you know…” 

“And now that I think of it, there was a new cop, too. Not even someone we grew up with. You know any gingers moved to way out here?” 

“Oh, god, Nicole? You got pulled over by _Nicole_?” 

“I guess, why? Is she some kind of hard-ass I gotta break in before I go?” 

“Absolutely not! She’s my new friend! Oh, god, this is so embarrassing… if you two ever met I was hoping to introduce you to her myself, so she wouldn’t get a bad impression of you…” 

“Ouch. If I wanted to, I could make a good impression on someone, you know.” 

“Did you…?” 

“Well, for a split second there I thought it might be like… some kind of weird prank the highschool shits were doing.” 

“And why would you think that?” 

“’Cause all our cops are gross old dudes or try-hard dorks, and she’s, y’know, a bit easier on the eyes and anyway she introduced herself as _Officer Hot,_ Waverly. What was I supposed to think?” 

_“…What?”_

“So I asked her if she was a stripper…” 

_“WHAT?”_

“Well, I dunno.” 

“Ohmygod…” Waverly raised a hand to rub at her temple. “H-A-U-G-H-T, Wynonna.” 

“Oh, no way!” 

“Well whose last name is ‘hot!?” 

“A stripper’s!” 

Waverly buried her head under her arms on the bar. “So _embarrassing…_ what if she hates you?” 

“Well, no offense but I never got along with any of your goober friends, anyway.” 

“No, Nicole’s different, Wynonna,” came Waverly’s muffled reply. “I don’t just hang out with her because she’s around. She’s not… she’s not like the other ‘goobers’ in town, ok? I… really like her.” 

Waverly had never had a true friend before. There had been a few nice kids, and as sociable as she was, she even got along with the not-so-nice kids. But Wynonna knew her sister was smarter than any of the dipshits her age. She had never quite fit in. 

“Sorry I embarrassed you, babygirl.” She reached out and started combing her fingers through Waverly’s hair. “I’ll be on my best behavior next time I see her, ok? Even though she’s a cop, I wanna get to know someone if you say they’re good enough to be a real friend.” 

Waverly lifted her head at that. “Thank you. You’re not totally embarrassing, you know. I’ve always thought you were the coolest person to come out of this town.” 

Wynonna looked away shyly. 

“I just wish everyone else could see it too. Or _anyone_ else.” 

“Well, we’ll see how cool your cop friend thinks I am when I’m paying my fine.” 

Waverly bit her lip nervously. “I really do want you two to get along…” 

“I’ll do my level best, Wave.” 


	3. Chapter Three

Flowers turned up on Curtis’s grave and the truck was absent from the driveway. Wynonna’s car, it had turned out, was not the result of grand theft or some other big adventure as Waverly had imagined. It was simply a rental. 

And Wynonna, for all her adventures was simply a woman. Simply her sister. 

She turned up at Shorty’s with paint in her hair. Which rooms had gotten what new colors, Waverly hadn’t been privy to. She swung by the house to borrow a ladder and some tools from Gus. What had been worked on? She didn’t bother to say. 

In a way, it was all Waverly had ever dreamt. Her beloved big sister had come home—and not only home to Purgatory, but back to where she, in Waverly’s opinion, belonged out on the homestead. 

But something made her ache as her sister sat across from her late that afternoon, a patron once again at Shorty’s, eating greasy bar food and ignoring the stares from the rest of the town as if it were all just a regular part of her life. 

“…and then the water damage in the crawlspace, and that’s it.” Wynonna sipped her cola, clearly pleased with herself.” 

“You’ve sure got a lot done in only two days.” 

“That’s what being jobless in a boring town does. Man, that place really turned to shit.” 

“Well it _has_ been over a decade. I would have kept it up myself, but, you know. Just a kid.” Distantly, Waverly sensed something inside herself, making a few weak attempts to crawl up her throat. But she should be happy. Wynonna was here, and she should be happy. 

“Yeah, I know. The one thing I haven’t done is check Willa’s room. I guess I should.” 

“Willa’s room? What are you gonna do in there?” 

“Depends on what I find.” 

“But, you’re not—are you thinking of repainting that too? Redoing it?” 

“No! No, I’m gonna leave it just how she left it. But if there’s a leak somewhere, or god help us any mold… Do you think I should get a new bed?” The ache got heavier.

“A new…” 

“I’m used to sleeping in some pretty tight spaces, but at this point the couch in the living room is more inviting than that lumpy old twin.” 

“Haven’t you spent a lot on paint? You’re jobless…” 

“Yeah, I know. But some things you just gotta fix. Like the refrigerator? I can’t believe it got left in there, it’s really fucked up now. I think something tried living in it once. ” 

“So what, you’re gonna buy a refrigerator?” 

“Mmm..." Wynonna grew thoughtful. But what was there to think about? The answer was 'no.' Has only ever been 'no.' "Well, I—” 

“—You don’t _live_ there, Wynonna…!” 

For the first time in her life, she made her big sister flinch. 

“You… you left. _Remember?”_

Wynonna nodded dumbly, looking at Waverly in a way that was both bewildered and nervous. 

“You left us behind, and the homestead too. I’ve wanted you to come back this whole time, I’ve told you as much… But you hate it here! And now you’re the one repairing the homestead?”

“Waverly, if you wanted to help, you just had to say. I know _you_ have a job—” 

“What’s the _point,_ Wynonna?” 

Silence. Wide eyed silence. Years gone by and now she can spend time with her sister, and this is what she does with it? Still, she found she couldn’t stop. 

“Traffic court is the last Monday of every month. You’re going to be here four more days. So no, I don’t think you should get a new bed.” 

Just out of sight, she heard the door swing open. Her perfect customer service was finally tarnished as she stared Wynonna down. Wynonna, who looked like she had a hundred things to say but didn’t know quite what any of them were. But something behind her eyes was on fire, and that set Waverly off again. 

“I don’t think you should have wasted your money on any of it. How much do you even have? How do you get by out there? I’ve imagined you as a con artist, a thief, a master gambler. I’ve thought you were in a gang, or maybe just eating the free food in prison.” She felt her voice getting lower and lower, felt how she and Wynonna were leaning in towards each other, staring one another down. Another first, they were going toe to toe. 

“Sometimes, when it took you months to call me back I thought you were in a grave somewhere in Belgium, ‘cause who could prove it was any different? You’re my sister and I don’t know the first thing about you! Are _you_ the stripper? Are you prostituting yourself out there? How much was getting away from here worth?” 

Wynonna went deathly pale. It was immediate, and Waverly was left with the sensation that she had just struck her sister with something leaden. 

Glass shattered and the barstool hit the ground as Wynonna scrambled to pull her coat on and bolt. Waverly jumped back at the flurry of noise, looked around apologetically at the patrons nearby, suddenly remembering her place in all of this. When she turned to watch her sister make her escape, she saw Wynonna was already at the doorway, head bowed, zipping up her coat… 

…Trying to side step a very ungraceful, uncomfortable looking Nicole. 

XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX 

Usually when she walked through Shorty’s doors, Nicole was greeted with Waverly’s signature ‘smile and wave.’ Today, she found the Earp sisters in each other's faces, the only time she had ever seen Waverly distraught. 

Shattering dishware and a verbal altercation. Maybe she could have stopped Wynonna on her way out, but in small towns like this one, she had learned that it was more respectable to let family issues stay within their families. 

She picked up the fallen barstool and set it to rights before peering over the bar at Waverly, kneeling to pick up shards of glass as quickly as she could. 

“You shouldn’t do that barehanded, you know.” She said softly, hoping not to startle her smaller friend. 

Waverly’s eyes were wet with tears. “I’m sorry you had to see that,” was the quiet, pitiable response that Nicole got. 

XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX 

Wynonna sat on a tarp in her old bedroom, a half full paint can at her feet. 

Today had not gone as expected. The Waverly in her memory was a sweet girl always trailing behind her. She wanted to share Wynonna’s snacks, play with her toys, pretend she needed help with her homework just to get her attention for a little while. She did what Mama and Daddy asked, no matter what, always trying to be the good daughter. She even tried getting on Willa’s good side every now and then, when she was feeling brave enough. 

The Waverly in her memory would bail her out of jail every single time. Wouldn’t think poorly of her no matter what she drank or took or who she spent her time with. She denied the bullshit rumors and defended her honor. 

Waverly wasn’t a memory though, was she? She was a real person, who Wynonna usually forgot to call. How could she expect her to welcome her back without being at least a little bit pissed? It was still a shock to see what remaining in Purgatory had done to Waverly’s opinion of her. A car thief, and a prostitute. It’s true she had been a _bit_ of a jailbird in her youth, but… 

She picked up a paintbrush and threw it sulkily against the wall. 

And now Wynonna had even broken her promise to behave well in front of Waverly’s new friend. She had humiliated her again, in a typical Earp fashion. And now things were going to get even Earpier. How was she supposed to bring up guns and demons now? 

XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX 

“Thanks for the ride. Sorry we couldn’t talk much, but the dinner rush comes so early now that it’s dark by 5.” Waverly bustled around, making sure she had her phone and wallet, and her tip money came out right. 

“That’s alright. It’s fine hanging around in a place with such nice service.” Nicole watched as Waverly tried to turn away after that, another failed attempt to hide her smile. As much as everybody liked her, she was still so bashful when it came to compliments. In fact, from the bits and pieces Waverly let slip of her past, Nicole got the feeling that she hadn’t grown up in the nicest of homes. 

“I think I’ve got everything...oh!” The smaller girl had turned to find Nicole holding her coat open for her, and again looked both pleased and embarrassed. 

“’Cept this, right?” Nicole wrapped it around her snugly, giving her a pat between her shoulders and starting them towards the door. 

“Thanks…” 

The squad car heated up pretty quickly while Nicole dusted the snow off, but Waverly was taking a bit longer to uncurl from herself and loosen up her jaw. Nicole suspected, however, that her body language wasn’t due to the weather. 

“So… things are a little rough, huh, having her back?” 

“Yeah… I didn’t think it would be. All the times I imagined her coming home, I think I was being a bit optimistic. Naïve. Stupid, really…” 

“No, not stupid at all…!” Nicole reached across the console to take Waverly’s hands in one of her own. “You’ve got a big heart, Wave, people should treat you better. You deserve to be treated better.” She felt Waverly’s fingers tighten hesitantly around how own. 

“…I was actually the one that started it.” Waverly’s voice tightened, and Nicole’s heart along with it. She couldn’t stand to see women cry. “So _that_ was stupid.” 

“Again, no.” She started brushing her thumb over Waverly’ knuckles in a way she hoped was comforting (and not weird.) “You never tell people when you’re upset with them, and you really should. It’s good to be honest like that.” 

“You’re right; I am upset." Some of the tension left her shoulders. "I’m upset with her, for so many things… but it mostly just hurts that after all this time, she’s hanging around for a slip of paper instead of me. She’s even acting like she lives here again, like she’s happy to be home.” 

“Do you really want that? For her to come back?” 

“Of course I do. I always did. It honestly… it honestly broke my heart when we got split up as kids. She was in and out of Juvie a lot, I don’t know if you’ve heard about that. And they bounced her around foster homes. It just made her worse.” 

“Oh, Waverly, no I didn’t know that. I’m so sorry.” 

“She’s not a bad person, I’ve always tried to tell people but they never hear me out. We went through a lot when we were young, and honestly… I don’t think anyone else even tried protecting me like she did.” Waverly kept her head turned to the window, but in its reflection Nicole could see her crumpling. 

“She… did?” 

“Oh, god, I said some… terrible things to her. I can’t believe I did that. I didn’t mean it. I probably sounded just like all the assholes that used to harass her when she was a teenager. Jeez, she even wanted to work together to fix up the old house, and she was in such a good mood… how could I—” 

While Waverly rambled away in the passenger’s seat, Nicole was having a revelation. 

“You mean Wynonna’s the _good_ sister??” 

XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX

Miles away, a flame came to life in an oil drum, flaring up into a blaze as a few dozen figures crowded around it. Between the battered trailers at the park, beer was spilled and deals with the devil were made. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next chapter the ratings gonna ratchet up for some ~action~ and then after that, I think we might take this thing up to E for..."action."  
> (not sure why last chapters notes are showing up on this chapter too?)


	4. Chapter Four

Champ Hardy had been good enough. He was pushy but took getting shot down well. He didn’t take it permanently, but he took it well. From what she could recall of her friends’ relationships, that was pretty good. 

He was handsome. So that was good. He was decent in bed, as far as she could tell, and he did nice things like bring her food when she wasn’t feeling well. Which was good. So all around, good enough. The kind of good enough that, in Purgatory, could mean wedding bells. 

One of her dreams was a loving family. Growing up the way she had, the idea of a loving spouse was very dear to her. So the idea of wedding bells ringing for her and the best she could do was very comforting. And now, knowing that she had dumped him was causing her to hyperventhalate into her comforter just past midnight. 

Was she out of her mind? First she dumps Champ, who was likely to propose, and a week later she yells at Wynonna who’s finally spending time with her. _Did_ she want a loving family? And not to mention… the thoughts. 

The weird weird thoughts. 

Thoughts like… Waverly buried her head under her pillow in embarrassment. Thoughts like ‘how can you _really_ tell if you have feelings for someone,’ and ‘what’s the difference between loving your friends and loving your boyfriend?’ 

Thoughts like ‘how is it possible to like a friend more than your boyfriend,’ and ‘how could she be happier to see Nicole than she ever was to see Champ,’ and ‘what does bisexuality feel like?’ 

‘How can you tell,’ ‘How can you tell,’ ‘How can you tell?’ 

It was going to be another sleepless night. Blindly she reached out to her bedside table, taking a hold of her phone and making the snap decision to try to at least solve one of her problems—even if she had no plan. 

_I’m sorry. Can we talk tomorrow?_

_Yeah. Come over whenever you want._

This was cruel. They had spent so much time apart, now she couldn’t even tell whether or not Wynonna was mad through the text. Another sleepless night, indeed.

XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX

Instead of being bombarded with affection or babbling, Wynonna opened the door to their childhood home to find an eerily quiet Waverly. When she was let in, she took in the new coat of paint and the buffed floor without a word. She walked slowly through to the kitchen, with Wynonna following awkwardly behind her, not sure who was supposed to speak first. 

“You know, they never let me come back here. Even to visit.” Her baby sister barely spoke above a whisper. 

“You wanted to visit?” 

”I wanted to _live_ here. It’s my home.” She whirled around to look at Wynonna. 

What do you say to something like that? “I…I used to sneak back here and drink when I was in high school.” 

“I wish you woulda taken me with you.” It wasn’t accusatory. God, she looked so lonely, standing there, arms across her chest.

“To drink? You were like eleven.”

“Well just to… spend time with you. I wish…” Oh god, she was gonna cry. “I wish we could have spent more time together, then. I wish we could spend more time together _now_ but you’re gonna leave again!” And here were the tears. And—

_”Oof!”_ there was the tackle of a hug she was used to. 

“I’m so sorry! I shouldn’t have said those things to you, I love you so much and I don’t think you’re a criminal or anything, and I don’t think you do anything like prostitution but if you did, I—” The poor kid was losing her breath. “I would just want you to tell me, because I’d be _so_ scared for you!” 

And now the poor thing was just outright sobbing into her shoulder. “Waves…you were right.” 

“What!?” 

“Not about that. Jesus. You were right to be mad at me. I should call, I should let you know more about me. I’m your big sister and I should take care of you better, starting with spending more time with you.” 

“But will you?” Waverly let her gently guide her to the couch, and then push her into a seat. 

“Actually, babygirl, I’m thinking about moving back in.” How to approach this… 

“Why? When? By yourself? Not that I’m inviting myself, but do you have… are you attached to… anyone?” 

“By myself, starting immediately.” 

“And because…” 

“Because I’m a wanted woman and this is the last place they’d look for me.” 

Waverly’s blank stare told her the joke hadn’t quite landed. 

“Well you’re gonna like the real reason a lot less…” 

“You’re gonna have to tell me anyway.” 

“Mmm… demons? Aannnnnd the Earp curse?” 

The same blank stare. 

“But this time I’m not joking.” 

“Wynonna…” 

Her mind had gone blank. How could she possibly explain this to Waverly, who worked so hard to be normal. Who was so torn up over their mother? 

“Wynonna, you’d better have a real reason. You’d better have a sweet reason like ‘I want to be a family again.’ ‘I missed you,’ ‘I missed home.’ Damnit, _Wynonna_ you’d better not have come home to tell me you’re crazy!” 

Her heart was so obviously breaking. What was she doing? What kind of big-sistering was this? Weren’t some lies supposed to be kind? 

“I just… I dunno, Waves. I dunno. I turned 27, and now I’m having these dreams. Every few nights, and their all back here in Purgatory, and there’re always these monsters...” Woops. Explaining was definitely not doing the trick. 

“You’re serious?” Her voice shook. “Monster dreams, so you come across the world?” 

“I’m here because Curtis died.” 

“And?” 

“And… what if it’s connected? My birthday, the dreams, his death?” 

“Oh, god… oh, god, you sound like her. You sound like Mama.” And just like that, she had taken what could have been a chance to make up with her sister, and she devastated her instead. 

“Waverly, I’m serious—” 

“That’s what makes it so terrible!” She sprung from the couch then and began to pace. “And what do you expect to do here? Find Daddy’s old ‘magic’ gun? Start wandering through town looking for the spawn of Lucifer?” 

She looked on helplessly. “I don’t have a plan. I’m just gonna move back in because it feels right. Ok?” 

“Well, could you see someone? A therapist?” 

“No.” 

“You didn’t take any hallucinogenics, did you?” 

“When?” 

“Yeah, that’s… not the right answer.” 

“This isn’t that big of a deal.” 

“That you think that? Is a huge problem. Oh god.” She grabbed her bag off the couch. “I gotta go to work. Wyn. Can you at least promise me you won’t go do something insane while I’m not looking?” 

“The only thing I was gonna do today was finish repairs.” 

XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX 

Nicole’s driving around aimlessly when she gets the call; it’s the usual way of patrolling the streets for traffic violations, only no one’s ever on the road. 

It’s a blessing when she’s needed. A fist fight, no there’s a knife wound, onlookers have scattered, accusations of trespassing, stalking. She finally gets a chance to put on the siren and fly into town. 

The scrap is still miraculously happening when she arrives on scene. Drops of blood run a trail across the road and into an alleyway, but she doesn’t need it. Trashcans smashing around echo out to where she’s standing, and a howl of agony hits her ears just as she turns the corner, gun drawn.” 

A rusty old pipe snaps his jaw around sideways, Moody from the trailer park, and she thinks the clacking near her feet might be teeth. His face is slashed and red with blood and exertion, his jacket shredded with the sleeve ripped off. 

It’s a blessing until it’s a curse. Wynonna Earp is the culprit. 

“Freeze!” She yells. Surely her voice was stern enough that time. 

Wynonna didn’t have a scratch on her, but as she moved the gun back and forth between the two, she felt discomfort roil in her stomach every time she saw the other woman down the barrel. 

“Officer! This drunkard attacked me—” 

“I caught this fucker on _my_ property—”

“She chased me through town—” 

“Looking in through my kitchen window like a bargain bin horror flick—” 

“Did _this_ to my face—”

“He threatened to _kill_ me—” 

Another squad car pulls up behind her as reinforcements arrive, and slowly she began to notice onlookers peeping out of nearby windows. Nedley stepped around her completely nonplussed, pushing Moody against the alley wall and cuffing him. Nicole, turning to the older woman, followed suit.” 

“Drop the knife.” It clanged to the ground harmlessly. The woman, the myth, the legend herself put up no struggle against the cuffs. 

“You got real gentle hands there, red.” Her face was grim. 

After months of agonizing monotony, did it really have to be Waverly’s sister to bring trouble back to this town? 


	5. Chapter Five

Cops were her natural predator, but she was her own worst enemy. 

Wynonna sat sideways in the back of a squad car with her feet outside on the ground. Still at ground zero. Doofus rookies walked back and forth between her and Moody, who was sitting much the same way in a squad car across the street. They must have taken her statement six times before Officer H-A-U-G-H-T came over from a group of witnesses. 

“Are you alright?” 

“He’s the one who took a knife to the face.” The question was an unfamiliar one, especially from a cop. 

“But what you accused him of, that’s pretty serious. I mean, that’s terrifying.” 

“Trespassing?” 

“It seems like it was a little more than that. Or do you not think so? Are you telling me you think you were in the wrong here?” 

“No, I don’t feel guilty at all. But I know how this works.” 

“How what works?” 

“This.” Behind her back, she wiggled her cuffed hands. 

“You know, I don’t believe we’ve officially met, Ms. Earp. My name’s Nicole Haught, I’ve been working Purgatory PD for just about a year, and I’m still considered new in town. And frankly, I’ve heard all about you.” 

Wynonna nodded, pulling her gaze away from her own boots to look the young officer in the eye, not sure if she was being challenged. 

“So far every witness heard him threaten your life. They saw you both drive in from the direction of your home, and they saw him looking pleased with himself—up until he ‘took a knife to the face.’ And they saw you looking, as they put it, scared.” 

“Is that so.” 

“Do you understand, Ms. Earp?” Wynonna felt her very soul roll its eyes. “Wynonna.” And then she was glaring daggers. “Ms. Earp.” 

_Waverly’s friend, Waverly’s friend, Waverly’s friend…_ She bit her tongue. 

“Your story’s checking out. We still have to take you in, but you’ll probably only be the night; everything will be squared away soon. And he’s going to the ER for stitches, so no need to worry about being near him tonight.” 

She looked across the street and found a pair of glowing red eyes trained on her. Before she could comprehend it, dread flared up and surged through every artery and vein. Her head spun as she looked into the face of hell. She was right. She had been right. Or Waverly had been _really_ right and what she was seeing was actually her own sanity slipping away. 

“Ms. Earp?” When Officer Haught glanced back to see what had caught her attention, the red vanished, and she was simply looking at a man. A man with a sickly smile, who had said he would kill her and could back it up. 

“Um… would you like me to call your sister? In this situation, you could post bail. It wouldn’t be a problem. 

“Do not… absolutely do not call Waverly.” 

XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX 

_Red eyes, he had glowing red eyes, glowing. Red eyes._ “Hey, it smells like piss in here!” 

Officer Haught appeared before her momentarily. “No it does not. And here, Nedley bought you this? From the diner? And he says goodnight, and,” her brow furrowed, “be nice to me.” 

A tightly wrapped parcel was passed to her through the bars, and it smelled heavenly. “Crispy buffalo chicken with broccoli raab and mozzarella. Leave it to Nedley to remember a sandwich order for over a decade.” 

“You get diner food when you’re in jail?” 

“Well yeah, because he used to go pick it up when he was the only officer on duty. And as a reward for not telling…” 

“He used to _what_?”

Wynonna cackled around the first bite of her wrap. How pure. 

“Well tonight he didn’t break any rules.” 

“But tonight I have to be nice to you.” 

“Oh.” 

The redhead shuffled off, and for a while Wynonna was left to her food. And after that, she was unfortunately left to her own thoughts. Earp curse, psychiatry, red eyes and a sad little sister. And honestly? Yes it did smell like piss in there. 

“Hey, red!” 

The other woman appeared outside the bars. “Officer Haught.” 

_No, my name’s Wynonna Earp. Ugh. Waverly’s friend._ “Officer Haught. Not hot. Not that you’re not hot.” _No, that wasn’t great either._

“Um, yes?” 

“You know the wifi password?” 

“To your cell? No.” Well, she actually smiled. And oh god, did Wynonna not want to be alone just then, but her last hope was already turning away. 

“So what stories have you heard about me?” 

“That bored, huh?” 

“Actually, I love hearing about myself.” 

And she’s leaving again. 

“I’ve heard some stories about _you._

Nicole returned to the bars, now taking things much more seriously. 

“Like complaints?” 

“Like speculations.” Actually, maybe she shouldn’t have mentioned this. 

“Speculations about what?” 

“Uh, actually, never mind.” Had she told Waverly she could make a good impression on someone if she tried? That was a lie. 

“What do you mean, “never mind?” You brought it up.” 

“Yeah but I was just messing around, I, uh, I’m bored. I didn’t actually want to start something.” 

Nicole stood tall and gave off the impression that she wouldn’t be going anywhere. Well she got what she wanted. “What would you be starting?” 

“You’re telling me you haven’t heard any gossip about yourself at all? That’s tough to do around here.” 

More stern silence. 

“So people are calling you a, um, vegetarian. You know about that?” 

“Is that supposed to be a big deal around here? Like an offense to rednecks?” And then, defensively, “It’s not even true.” 

Hmm. “My bad, not vegetarian. They’re calling you a pescatarian.” Nicole looked at her like she wasn’t sure which of the two of them was stupid. Until Wynonna failed to stop a snigger at her own joke, and something behind Nicole’s eyes clicked on. 

It looked like comprehension, but also a bit like fear. Maybe embarrassment. 

“Ms. Earp? Would you like to let me in on the little joke you’re playing?” She did her best to hide it; Wynonna was getting the sense that professionalism was very important to this woman, but something was tightening her voice. 

“Look, I don’t have any friends in this town, but even I’ve picked up on it. They all think you’re a big lez.” Nicole looked to the side sharply, jaw muscles tense. “Not that you are.” 

The other woman huffed out a bitter laugh and turned back, lips tight. 

“Not that it’s a bad thing, either.” 

“This whole time I’ve been worried about whether or not they think I’m a good cop, or a good addition to the town. I had just hoped people liked me. I hoped they got used to me. But _this_ is what they’ve been talking about? 

“Yeah… sorry.” 

Nicole huffed again, looking dejected and turned again to go back to her desk. “Well to answer your question, I heard you were the sluttiest, angriest, most irresponsible, most reckless, craziest, most damaged, drunkest, drugged up woman this town’s ever produced.” 

“Wow.” Well that was like a bullet. “Not as bad as I thought.” 

“I’m not saying it to be mean, that’s just what everyone says, if you put it all together.” 

Wynonna nodded to herself as Nicole went back just out of view. 

The faint sound of typing filled her cell and it occurred to her briefly that she should use this quiet time to sort out her life. But her brain was fried. She crumpled up the paper from her wrap and threw it weakly at the cell wall. 

“So is it true?” The typing stopped. 

“Is what true?” The response was quiet from where the other woman sat at her desk, but Wynonna heard it, and her trepidation, crystal clear. 

“That you’re a… y’know.” 

A pause, and then the other woman was back in front of her. “A lesbian?” 

“Yeah, that. It’s not a big deal, I just…” Why did she care? Why would she ask this total stranger? 

“Yes. And I wasn’t trying to hide it, for the record, it’s just never come up. And I hate being the center of gossip.” 

“Well lucky for you, I’m back in town.” Hey, the cop actually smiled again. Maybe Wynonna could charm people after all. 

“But could you do me a favor?” Her voice was shy now, a far cry from how authoritative she had been when she was arresting Wynonna. 

“What’s that?” 

“Could you not tell Waverly?” 

“Sure. Yeah, I won’t. Do you think she’d be weird about something like that? I haven’t spent much time with her lately, so, I'm no expert.” 

“No, but I still think she should hear it from me. Although she must have these rumors going through her head every time we hang out, which is… awkward to say the least.” 

“Mum's the word. You don’t even have to bribe me with food.” Another smile; She was getting good at this. What had Waverly been worried about? 

XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX 

A smoky bar. Pool balls clacking. Wynonna was toasted, and a day away from getting on that plane and touring Europe. 

She was scared, and alone, and the heat in her stomach from drink wasn’t the comfort it was supposed to be. She had a hole in her chest from where she had freshly ripped her home out. And the only fast way she knew how to get companionship was… 

She was snug against the mattress, the warm weight on top of her a comfort, but only a hollow one. This man was a stranger, and she knew within hours they would be apart. But arms around her waist, she always had to admit, did a better job than booze. 

With encounters like these she was always torn between keeping things distant and keeping things delicate, which was something she felt came with a lot of intimacy. Her hands were gentle as they ran over the muscles of his back, her nails scraping lightly against his scalp. In doing this, she hoped that he would become gentle too. But it never worked. 

She didn’t like the demanding kisses, the hands that roved too roughly too quickly. But underneath him, and all of them, what could she say? She had begged for the attention, and gotten it. She had asked this of someone from the pool of unknown. What could she expect? 

Hands at her belt, too soon. How could she ask? How could she make any demands? Groping, he did it wrong, it was quickly becoming all for him, but how could she ask for any different? She was in it for the arms around her waist anyway. This was like a trade. She kept her mouth shut. Could still taste the whisky. 

But nails ran through her hair, along her scalp. Hands skimmed over her hips, over her stomach. Gentle. Soft, soft flesh pressed down into her. 

She whimpered, and opened eyes she didn’t know were closed. A woman was above her, one who's face was hidden in the darkness of the room. Hands at her belt. She was fine with it. Plush lips along the side of her face, and she began to cry. This was what she had been looking for. 

What bed was this, what room? Warm thighs against her own. It didn’t matter, this was the safest she had ever been. She threw her head back against the pillow and surrendered. She didn’t need to say anything. Playful nips at her neck, endearing, and breasts against her own. A sweet perfume and the pad of a thumb swiping at her opening, sliding up easily, slickly to her clit. 

Perfect. The perfect teasing pressure, the perfect heat in her gut, no whisky needed. She was warm all over and—

She jolted awake. Prison bars. Piss smell. Distant typing. 

How much longer could she write off her dreams? Now that the ones about hellspawn in Purgatory had come true… 

XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX 

_Dear Nicole,_

She was off to a good start, but that was three hours ago. Waverly sat at her desk with her chin in her hand, staring at a piece of paper and all the ways it go wrong. 

_You brought a lot of light to this dim town._ How personal could she get? Nicole had a handful of close friends, but was acquainted with the whole town. Could she get through this thing without giving herself away? Maybe not… 

_Your dedication to your work is admirable, but your care for the people in a strange town set you apart from the rest right from the start. You have the biggest, warmest heartPurgatory has seen._

Could she go on? Anything more than that colored her cheeks with embarrassment. But there was something so cathartic about putting this down on paper, all of these thoughts and feelings she had been keeping bottled up, trying to ignore. 

_You also have the warmest eyes, and the warmest smile. You bring such joy and comfort everywhere you go, and, Nicole Haught, you are absolutely beautiful. The first time I saw you, you stunned me. I had hoped that you would stay in this measly town, so that I might get the chance to get to know you._

Waverly hid her face in her hands, suddenly needing to take a few deep breaths before she continued. 

“Oh, boy. Here we go.” _I didn’t recognize at first what I felt for you, but now I find it impossible not to admit my feelings. Every day I resist the urge to make a fool of myself. This is the only way I can find the courage to tell you, that you are the most beautiful woman in Purgatory with the most beautiful soul I’ve ever met. You have completely captivated my heart._ Was this alright? It was sounding so generic. Anyone could have written this to anyone. 

But that was how it had to be, wasn’t it? Because Waverly Earp was still as big a coward as she ever was, wasn’t she? 

_Sincerely, an infatuated admirer._

Yes, yes she was. And reading it over a second time she found herself cursing the flowery quality of the writing. But that was all the better to disguise her identity, wasn’t it? 

Truly when she had sat down to do this, she had intended to sign her name. Intended to tell Nicole all of the moments between the two of them that had lead her heart to feeling like it was fit to burst. But somewhere between the evening light and darkness, she had realized how absolutely idiotic she was. 

What would she do if she ruined this friendship? Nicole was the only person in her life she felt one hundred percent comfortable with. If that were to disappear, she’d hate herself forever. If she made Nicole uncomfortable around her, she’d hate herself forever. 

Folding the paper neatly into thirds, she told herself that the slight relief she felt getting even this much off of her chest was worth it. Even so, it took her another hour to slip it into the envelope and lick the stamp. 

The words she had written ran through her head on an endless loop, and each time she became more dissatisfied with them. But she didn’t know what else to do. A part of her still craved to see her friend's reaction, and surely she would share it with her. Would she be flattered? Would she turn pink? She had never seen Nicole embarrassed. 

Surely this would be worth it. Just as long as Nicole never found out it was her, everything would be fine. 


End file.
